Fins of the type used for attachment to heat exchanger tubes, such as used in heating, air conditioning, and heat exchange equipment, are conventionally formed on a ribbon-type fin line apparatus. This apparatus acts on a sheet of suitable material such as sheet metal to simultaneously form a plurality of platelike fins during each cycle of operation. In addition to severing the fins from the sheet stock, the apparatus also simultaneously forms several holes through each fin so that they can be positioned in surrounding relationship to appropriate heat exchanger tubes.
While this known fin line apparatus is able to produce fins at a relatively high rate, nevertheless, the handling of the fins, and specifically the collecting of the fins and the transporting thereof to a further work station has long presented a problem to users of this equipment. Most heat exchanger manufacturers utilizing fin forming equipment of the above type position a spiked fin-stacking rack adjacent the apparatus so that the fins, when discharged from the press, are collected on the rack. The fins collect in vertical stacks until the rack is filled, whereupon it is then necessary to shut down the fin line apparatus and the filled rack is then removed.
In an attempt to improve the efficiency of this operation, some fin line apparatus have provided a rotary table or shuttle with a plurality of fin receiving racks thereon so that when one rack is filled, it can be removed and an empty rack moved into the fin receiving position. This operation, while it minimizes the shutdown time of the apparatus, nevertheless still requires shutdown of the apparatus for a substantial time.
When utilizing spiked racks as described above, the spikes are normally of substantial height to permit formation thereon of a fin stack of maximum height. This, however, creates additional problems in that it has been discovered that the large vertical stacks can cause deflection of the spikes so that the upper ends do not properly align with the discharge of the press. Hence, proper feeding of fins onto the spikes may be difficult, possibly fouling the stacking operation and requiring a shutdown of the overall assembly.
The use of these known spiked racks for stacking fins also requires substantial manual manipulation and effort inasmuch as the fins, when collected in stacks on the rack, are normally manually removed from the racks for supply to a further processing station.
While other devices have been devised which have attempted to provide for automated collecting and transporting of fins, nevertheless these other devices have primarily related to machines of the fin-per-stroke type which normally produce only a single fin during each cycle, or at best only a small number of fins per stroke since the fins are moved in a direction perpendicular to their lengthwise extent. This type of machine has a very limited rate of production, particularly when compared with a multi-progression ribbon-type fin line apparatus which can produce a large number of fins (such as thirty-two) during each cycle. The fin-per-stroke machine is thus totally undesirable where the efficient mass producing and handling of fins is required.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for collecting and stacking the fins as formed on a fin forming apparatus, and then transporting the fins to a further work location, which apparatus and method overcome the abovementioned disadvantages.
More specifically, it is an object to provide an improved apparatus, as aforesaid, employing an endless fin collector extending between the fin forming apparatus and a selected loaction, which collector permits the fins to be collected and stacked thereon, and then automatically transported to said selected location for discharge. The endless collector includes an endless conveyor member movable transversely of the ribbon-type fin forming apparatus so that the newly formed fins are sequentially vertically stacked on the conveyor member due to the movement thereof below the apparatus. When the conveyor member leaves the region below the fin forming apparatus, it contains thereon adjacent stacks each containing a predetermined number of fins. This endless collector thus permits efficient and automatic collection of fins in vertical stacks each containing a predetermined number of fins, which is a function of the number of fins produced in side-by-side relationship during each operation, with the stacks being automatically transported to and discharged from the collector at a selected location.
A further object is to provide an apparatus, as aforesaid, wherein the endless conveyor member is formed by a plurality of adjacent fin receiving devices each formed by a bottom fin support and having outwardly projecting fin supporting structure, such as two or more outwardly projecting spikes adapted to project through openings formed in the fins, to securely and accurately receive and vertically stack the fins as they are discharged from the fin forming machine, so that the stacks can be securely and safely transported to a discharge location.
Still a further object is to provide an improved apparatus, as aforesaid, which includes a removing structure in association with the endless collector for enabling the stacks of fins to be sequentially and automatically removed from the endless conveyor member at the discharge location, with the removal of the stacks being synchronized with the receiving of the fins on the endless collector from the fin forming machine, so as to provide for totally automatic collecting, transporting and discharging of the fins, thereby providing an efficient and time-saving operation.
Another object is to provide an improved method, as aforesaid, for receiving, collecting, transporting and discharging fins as formed on a conventional ribbon-type fin forming machine, which method can be carried out automatically at a high rate of speed consistent with the continuous operation of the fin forming machine while simultaneously enabling the collected stacks of fins to be efficiently and safely transported to and discharged at a further work location, thereby providing a method having vastly improved accuracy and efficiency in contrast to prior known techniques.
Still another object is to provide an improved fin supporting structure in association with a ribbon-type machine, which fin supporting structure is particularly desirable when used in combination with the aforesaid apparatus and method of this invention, and which fin supporting structure permits the plurality of fins as formed during each cycle of the machine to be securely and accurately held in proper orientation and then efficiently and rapidly discharge downwardly in the necessary aligned relationship for deposit on the fin stacking structure located therebelow.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with apparatus and methods of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.